This invention relates generally to food products made from fish and more particularly to a food product made from a swordfish, which simulates spare ribs made from bovine or swine animals.
Various types of apparatus and methods for preparing or butchering fish are known. U.S. Pat. No. 3,593,370 (Lapeyre) discloses a butchering method for tuna while in the frozen state. The fish is cut into segments transverse to the spine or backbone, and then the skin, the plug of viscera and the skeletal structure is removed, leaving only the edible portions of the fish.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,704,377 (Baader) discloses an apparatus to remove the backbone of fish wherein two cutting blades converge between the backbone and the back of the fish. This obviates the need for special tools to remove the backbone and makes the removal easier.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,321,801 (Westerdahl) discloses an apparatus and a method for separating the flesh from ribs and vertebrae of fish. The fish is first flattened on its belly, thereby flattening and spreading the ribs and vertebrae and making the separation much easier.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,106,334 (Kristinsson) discloses an apparatus to remove the spines, headbone and organs from the front part of a fish.
The patents disclose various means for removing the flesh attached to the vertebral column or the spine of the fish and for removing the vertebral column and the ribs. None of the patents disclose a fish food product which comprises the vertebrae, ribs and attached flesh and which simulates spare ribs which are presently derived from bovine and swine products.